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Primary sourcePaintingbetween 1766 and 1820

The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

John Trumbull · between 1766 and 1820

A painting by John Trumbull showing men in 18th-century dress in a room with flags and a drum. Adams appears among the Revolutionary figures depicted.

Adams appears among the Revolutionary figures in this group scene of the drafting of the Declaration, which he helped to sign.

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Painted scene of men in 18th-century dress standing and seated in a room with tattered flags and a drum hung on the wall. Five standing men in the foreground, one at a table holding papers, and seated men at left and right.
John Trumbull, The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, between 1766 and 1820.

About this source

What it is

This is a painting by John Trumbull, titled The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. Its date is given as between 1766 and 1820. The image shows five standing men in the foreground, one of them at a table holding papers, with seated men at the left and right. Tattered flags and a drum hang on the wall behind them.

Why it matters

Trumbull was a painter who lived during the Revolution, so the work was made by someone of that time. It presents the drafting of the Declaration as a group effort. Adams is one of the Revolutionary figures shown, along with others who signed or helped shape the document. Students can use it to see how a painter chose to honor these men.

Look closer

  • Who is standing and who is seated, and what does that arrangement suggest about each person's role?
  • What might the painter have wanted viewers to think about the men shown, and what details might have been left out?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Samuel Adams on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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